


Behind the glass

by Jaffre



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Early in Canon, Gen, NB Captain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 16:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21460933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaffre/pseuds/Jaffre
Summary: After the Captain sustained a serious injury on Monarch, Parvati brings them to the only person she can think of to help.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 79





	Behind the glass

Phineas Welles was in his back room sketching some plans when the monitor started a familiar beeping, the kind he was always looking forward to. The Unreliable was docking in his landing bay. The Captain's unexpected visits were always a delightful break from his isolation, being one of the only... no, _the_ only, social interaction he was having in the past 35 years. He didn't have much to "secure" this time around, he hadn't been working on much anyway, considering how nervous he'd been. Last time he spoke to the Captain, they were planning a mad rush through Cascadia's wild fauna. Lunatic. No wonder he liked them so much.

Unfortunately, his fears were confirmed when, as he was waiting behind the glass, the Captain appeared, barely standing on their own, supported by that nice mechanic lady they brought over once before. The both of them looked very rough, the Captain even more so. 

"Dr Welles!" the mechanic's voice cracked up, "It's... it's the Captain. They need your help."  
"Hey..." they uttered, on the edge of consciousness.

Multiple wounds on their side were profusely bleeding, seeping through their clothes.

"I warned this fool not to land in Cascadia..." he banged his fists on the bulletproof glass.  
"They're bleeding so much I... I didn't know what to do or... or who else to turn to," the words poured from her like blood from a wound.  
"Calm down, my friend. This was the right call, I'll take care of them."

He stopped in his tracks a few steps away from the door. What if this was a setup? A ploy to get him to leave his sanctuary? Did they fell in the hands of the Board? Did they sell him out?

Against his better judgement, he left his inner sanctum. No way he was going to let them die. Not on his watch. If this was a trap, by Law, he sure fell for it.

Not wasting any more time, he cleared a table, and with her help, laid the Captain on it. He carefully removed the very amateurish bandage, revealing two large lacerations.

"Mantisaur?"  
"... queen," they wheezed  
"And you're still conscious?" he blinked in disbelief.

They only coughed in response. Phineas turned to their companion, who was standing around, seeping anxiety.

"Keep them awake as long as possible."

She nodded, and squeezed her Captain's hand, who only slightly whined. Still alive! That was a good sign.

"You're a mechanic, correct?" he asked her, while rummaging for his tools.  
"Y-Yes, sir."  
"Perfect. You're my assistant now."  
"Hold on, sir, I'm... I'm no sawbones,"  
"Don't worry about it, think of the human body as a... small-scale complex machinery," he handed her a pair of sterile gloves.  
"I'll... I'll try..."  
"Alright then. Follow my lead."

***

Head throbbing. Body aching. What was going on? What happened? Last thing they remembered, they were landing in Cascadia and... Oh.

"ADA... What day is it..." their voice croaked.  
"I'm afraid she's a tad far away to answer that question."

The voice was familiar, and it certainly wasn't ADA nor Parvati. They cracked their eyes open, adjusting to the dim lighting, focusing on...

"Welles?"  
"Good to have you back-- oh no, don't you dare," he hurried to stop them from getting up, "You've got at least two full weeks of total bed rest with that stunt you've pulled."  
"But--"  
"Doctor's orders. Speaking of which," he handed a glass with a metal straw, "Drink this. All of it."  
"Medicine? Great."  
"You don't get to complain. I told you not to go."

Uneasy, they sipped the liquid, and were surprised when it tasted... purple?

"Purpleberry Juice. I couldn't pump it directly into your bloodstream now, could I? It's full of additives but you need the sugar."

The Captain grumbled, but were happy to sippy their juice in peace. The sugar seemed to help, as they suddenly remembered something very important.

"Parvati! Where is she? Is she okay??"  
"Yes, don't worry. I patched her up after you, and ordered her back to the ship to rest."

He leaned forward to fill up the already empty cup with more juice.

"You bettter give her your thanks next time you see her. Bringing you here was a smart move, and she was very helpful when I fixed you."

Leaning back in his chair near the bed, he opened a bag of Purpleberry Munch with a loud crunch of the wrap.

"Lucky you two had compatible blood types, otherwise I don't know if you'd still be there. Here."

He offered the bag of munches, which the Captain accepted, confused but happy about being handed free snacks.

"Any reason for these?"  
"Still making sure you give your body enough energy to fix you up on its own."  
"Well, I ain't gonna say no to that."

An awkward silence slowly settled, Captain Chungus sipping their juice, Phineas Welles looking at his feet, his hands wrangled.

"Don't do this again, ever. Please."

The sudden change of tone ruffled the Captain. They silently stared at Welles, unable to voice their thoughts.

"You know that I'm... The colony is counting on you."  
"I know. That's why... That's why I didn't want to make a detour if I could already land on Monarch."

They sighed, and their breath turned to coughs, feeling their wounds move as they exhaled. They shuddered.

"Obviously I was wrong."  
"That... That was a noble pursuit. Too risky, but noble."  
"Thanks," they smirked.  
"Now, don't let this get to your head. Once you leave this room, I want you to follow the plan. Head to the Grounderbreaker and talk to Gladys about that Stellar Bay navkey."  
"Yeah, yeah. I gotcha, doc."

He sighed and got up, dragging the chair back to its desk.

"I should send a message to ADA, warn her that you've woken up and you're feeling good."  
"I wouldn't say 'good'..."  
"If you can complain that means you'll make it."

Now that they were left alone with their Purpleberry Juice and Purpleberry Munch, the Captain thought, a smile in their heart, well, there was worse ways to spend two bed-ridden weeks than in company of Phineas Welles.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know anything about medical stuffff!!! I did do a cursory search but not too deep, so I'm sorry if I got anything wrong.
> 
> Less shippy this time, but that's cause I imagine it being in the same continuity as my other Captain Chungus fics, and they only realised their feelings post-game...
> 
> I'm considering writing more chapters if I have more ideas of "behind the glass" that could happen during the game.


End file.
